Underestimated health hazard: proposal for an ergonomic microscope workstation Original Research Article

Working daily for a long time with a standard microscope causes back pain, fibromyalgia, or tension headache in up to 80% of microscopists. These complaints may be prevented by an orgonomic design of the microscope workstation, leading to a beneficial and significant reduction of electromyo-graphical activity in the most strained muscle groups as shown by surface electromyographic recordings.